President: James Buchanan Political Party: Democratic Date of term: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 Vice President: John Breckinridge Overall Rating: D
Theme: Unbeknownst to James Buchanan, the end of his presidency marked a huge change in the American Identity was brewing. Shortly after he left office, the Civil War erupted amongst the North and South. This major change came from a great deal of change in the American Identity during Buchanan’s presidency. For example, the Dred Scott decision showed a great change in the American Identity. The seemingly simple case came out with a ruling that Scott could not sue for his freedom, because he was an enslaved black and technically not a citizen. This was only accomplished by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise of 1820; a particular piece of legislation that the North felt coincided with the Declaration of Independence. This particular event greatly shaped America’s Identity by reinforcing the obvious sectional differences between the North and South. Another event that greatly shaped America’s identity was the Ordinance of Secession presented by South Carolina in 1860. This document was passed in order to officially show that the states that threatened secession were seceding, and were forming their own country. This was a major change in the American Identity because no longer was the United States of America united. Rather, there was only the Union and the Confederacy. Thesis: James Buchanan was the fifteenth President of the United States. He was also the first and only President from Pennsylvania. Buchanan (also known as Buck-anan) was a Representative for Pennsylvania and a lifelong bachelor. His experiences as a solider, an Ambassador, and a lawyer shaped his actions as President. Buchanan was able to positively influence America’s identity through his actions in the Utah War. Inversely, Buchanan negatively influenced America’s identity through his allowance of Southern secession. Through Buchanan’s influence, the Civil War broke out between the North and South, which earns him and his administration a rating of a ‘D’ Goals: In Buchanan’s Inaugural Address, he makes mention to the goals of his presidency. One of Buchanan’s goals was to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America”. In addition, Buchanan wanted to re-institute harmony the quarrelling states. He also mentions his goal of continuing the ideals of popular sovereignty in the territories. Finally, Buchanan emphasizes the importance of reducing both political corruption and the protective tariff. Some of Buchanan’s goals were achieved; others were not. The two goals that were reached were the reduction of political corruption and the reduction of the protective tariff. The goal of reduction of political corruption was achieved because there are no accounts of political corruption during Buchanan’s presidency. The other goal that was achieved was the reduction of the protective tariff. The tariff that was passed in 1855 had an average tariff of 20.6%, whereas the tariff that was passed in 1860 had an average tariff of 15.0%. This decrease in the average tariff shows that Buchanan was successful in achieving his goal of reducing the tariff. Unfortunately, Buchanan was unable to follow through with his other goals. The secession of the South shows that Buchanan was unable to re-institute harmony. He was also unable to preserve the Constitution because he was unable to prevent the South from seceding. His final goal of supporting popular sovereignty also failed because the only state used popular sovereignty in deciding its slavery status was Kansas. Relationship With Congress: Buchanan’s relationship with Congress could be described as odd. There were two Congresses that were in session during Buchanan’s presidency. During both Congresses, the Senate majority was Democratic. However, there was a plurality in the House of Representatives. The 35th Congress had a Democratic plurality and the 36th Congress had a Republican plurality. This meant that although there were more votes to one side in the House, neither party had a majority. That in turn meant that Buchanan could get more support in the Senate as opposed to the House of Representatives. Even though the Senate had a majority, Buchanan would have had a hard time passing a bill through the House. This is apparent when looking at the major legislation passed during Buchanan’s presidency. The only major piece of legislation passed throughout Buchanan’s entire presidency was the Morrill Tariff in 1861, which increased rates to a protective level. There was no legislation that was vetoed. Positive action: The most positive action that Buchanan took when he was in office was his dealings in the Utah War. The Utah War was started by Buchanan to settle down a supposed Mormon rebellion that was taking place in Utah. The reason that Buchanan decided to send military intervention was because he had received reports from federal Utah judges that Mormons drove them from their posts. The Mormons, fearful of the government crushing them all, reinforced themselves appropriately if a skirmish occurred. In total, approximately 150 people died as a result of the war. The final outcome was a negotiation between the Mormons and the government. The Mormons got reprimanded and compensated for the war, and Buchanan replaced the current Mormon Governor Young by the non-Mormon Governor Cumming. This war was a positive action because Buchanan showed his concern for the area of Utah. He was concerned about a rebellion, and wanted to make sure nothing bad would happen. Negative Action: Without a doubt, the worst decision made by Buchanan was to allow the Southern States to secede. Tension surrounded the election of 1860, and the result of the election gave the South a reason to secede. It was when the South seceded that Buchanan took action. Buchanan wrote a message to Congress; the result of this was both dissatisfaction and confusion. Buchanan said that he believed secession was illegal. He followed up by saying that the federal government could not prevent the states from seceding. This action was negative because of its paradoxical stance. The South was displeased because Buchanan was talking down their decision to secede by calling it illegal. The North was confused because Buchanan was saying that nothing could stop the Southern states from seceding. Not only did Buchanan’s message upset both sides of the issue, but also it did little to help in preventing the Southern secession. Though some might claim that war was unavoidable, the secession of the South can be associated with Buchanan because of what little he did to help save the Union. Influence: Buchanan’s allowance of Southern secession had a great influence over the future presidential administrations and generations to come. President Abraham Lincoln was faced with a country of disunion. Lincoln had to fight a war against the Confederacy in the Civil War because of Buchanan’s influence. The future generations had to deal with a couple of things because of Buchanan. Two negative influences were the splitting of the Union, and the start of the Civil War. As an opposed way of looking at things, Buchanan’s indecisiveness could be looked at as a positive influence. This is only because the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery. Conclusion: Buchanan and his administration had a great effect on America’s identity. Though both his positive actions in the Utah War and his negative actions in the secession of the South, Buchanan shaped the American identity by completely shifting the way that the country would be run. Buchanan and his administration’s actions left the country is a worse state than when they received it. Through this, they earn a rating of a ‘D’ Works Cited: James Buchanan:"Inaugural Address," March 4, 1857.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25817. "James Buchanan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan>. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "Drifting Toward Disunion." The American pageant: a history of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 426-430. Print. McNamara, Robert. "President James Buchanan and the Secession Crisis - President Buchanan Faced Crisis of Southern States Seceding From the Union." 19th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://history1800s.about.com/od/civilwar/a/james-buchanan-and-secession.htm>. “Tariffs in United States history” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariffs_in_United_States_history>. "Utah War." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War>.
Political Party: Democratic
Date of term: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861
Vice President: John Breckinridge
Overall Rating: D
Theme: Unbeknownst to James Buchanan, the end of his presidency marked a huge change in the American Identity was brewing. Shortly after he left office, the Civil War erupted amongst the North and South. This major change came from a great deal of change in the American Identity during Buchanan’s presidency. For example, the Dred Scott decision showed a great change in the American Identity. The seemingly simple case came out with a ruling that Scott could not sue for his freedom, because he was an enslaved black and technically not a citizen. This was only accomplished by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise of 1820; a particular piece of legislation that the North felt coincided with the Declaration of Independence. This particular event greatly shaped America’s Identity by reinforcing the obvious sectional differences between the North and South. Another event that greatly shaped America’s identity was the Ordinance of Secession presented by South Carolina in 1860. This document was passed in order to officially show that the states that threatened secession were seceding, and were forming their own country. This was a major change in the American Identity because no longer was the United States of America united. Rather, there was only the Union and the Confederacy.
Thesis: James Buchanan was the fifteenth President of the United States. He was also the first and only President from Pennsylvania. Buchanan (also known as Buck-anan) was a Representative for Pennsylvania and a lifelong bachelor. His experiences as a solider, an Ambassador, and a lawyer shaped his actions as President. Buchanan was able to positively influence America’s identity through his actions in the Utah War. Inversely, Buchanan negatively influenced America’s identity through his allowance of Southern secession. Through Buchanan’s influence, the Civil War broke out between the North and South, which earns him and his administration a rating of a ‘D’
Goals: In Buchanan’s Inaugural Address, he makes mention to the goals of his presidency. One of Buchanan’s goals was to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America”. In addition, Buchanan wanted to re-institute harmony the quarrelling states. He also mentions his goal of continuing the ideals of popular sovereignty in the territories. Finally, Buchanan emphasizes the importance of reducing both political corruption and the protective tariff. Some of Buchanan’s goals were achieved; others were not. The two goals that were reached were the reduction of political corruption and the reduction of the protective tariff. The goal of reduction of political corruption was achieved because there are no accounts of political corruption during Buchanan’s presidency. The other goal that was achieved was the reduction of the protective tariff. The tariff that was passed in 1855 had an average tariff of 20.6%, whereas the tariff that was passed in 1860 had an average tariff of 15.0%. This decrease in the average tariff shows that Buchanan was successful in achieving his goal of reducing the tariff. Unfortunately, Buchanan was unable to follow through with his other goals. The secession of the South shows that Buchanan was unable to re-institute harmony. He was also unable to preserve the Constitution because he was unable to prevent the South from seceding. His final goal of supporting popular sovereignty also failed because the only state used popular sovereignty in deciding its slavery status was Kansas.
Relationship With Congress: Buchanan’s relationship with Congress could be described as odd. There were two Congresses that were in session during Buchanan’s presidency. During both Congresses, the Senate majority was Democratic. However, there was a plurality in the House of Representatives. The 35th Congress had a Democratic plurality and the 36th Congress had a Republican plurality. This meant that although there were more votes to one side in the House, neither party had a majority. That in turn meant that Buchanan could get more support in the Senate as opposed to the House of Representatives. Even though the Senate had a majority, Buchanan would have had a hard time passing a bill through the House. This is apparent when looking at the major legislation passed during Buchanan’s presidency. The only major piece of legislation passed throughout Buchanan’s entire presidency was the Morrill Tariff in 1861, which increased rates to a protective level. There was no legislation that was vetoed.
Positive action: The most positive action that Buchanan took when he was in office was his dealings in the Utah War. The Utah War was started by Buchanan to settle down a supposed Mormon rebellion that was taking place in Utah. The reason that Buchanan decided to send military intervention was because he had received reports from federal Utah judges that Mormons drove them from their posts. The Mormons, fearful of the government crushing them all, reinforced themselves appropriately if a skirmish occurred. In total, approximately 150 people died as a result of the war. The final outcome was a negotiation between the Mormons and the government. The Mormons got reprimanded and compensated for the war, and Buchanan replaced the current Mormon Governor Young by the non-Mormon Governor Cumming. This war was a positive action because Buchanan showed his concern for the area of Utah. He was concerned about a rebellion, and wanted to make sure nothing bad would happen.
Negative Action: Without a doubt, the worst decision made by Buchanan was to allow the Southern States to secede. Tension surrounded the election of 1860, and the result of the election gave the South a reason to secede. It was when the South seceded that Buchanan took action. Buchanan wrote a message to Congress; the result of this was both dissatisfaction and confusion. Buchanan said that he believed secession was illegal. He followed up by saying that the federal government could not prevent the states from seceding. This action was negative because of its paradoxical stance. The South was displeased because Buchanan was talking down their decision to secede by calling it illegal. The North was confused because Buchanan was saying that nothing could stop the Southern states from seceding. Not only did Buchanan’s message upset both sides of the issue, but also it did little to help in preventing the Southern secession. Though some might claim that war was unavoidable, the secession of the South can be associated with Buchanan because of what little he did to help save the Union.
Influence: Buchanan’s allowance of Southern secession had a great influence over the future presidential administrations and generations to come. President Abraham Lincoln was faced with a country of disunion. Lincoln had to fight a war against the Confederacy in the Civil War because of Buchanan’s influence. The future generations had to deal with a couple of things because of Buchanan. Two negative influences were the splitting of the Union, and the start of the Civil War. As an opposed way of looking at things, Buchanan’s indecisiveness could be looked at as a positive influence. This is only because the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery.
Conclusion: Buchanan and his administration had a great effect on America’s identity. Though both his positive actions in the Utah War and his negative actions in the secession of the South, Buchanan shaped the American identity by completely shifting the way that the country would be run. Buchanan and his administration’s actions left the country is a worse state than when they received it. Through this, they earn a rating of a ‘D’
Works Cited:
James Buchanan:"Inaugural Address," March 4, 1857.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25817.
"James Buchanan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan>.
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. "Drifting Toward Disunion." The American pageant: a history of the Republic. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 426-430. Print.
McNamara, Robert. "President James Buchanan and the Secession Crisis - President Buchanan Faced Crisis of Southern States Seceding From the Union." 19th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://history1800s.about.com/od/civilwar/a/james-buchanan-and-secession.htm>.
“Tariffs in United States history” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariffs_in_United_States_history>.
"Utah War." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War>.